A mobile computing device (also known as a handheld device, handheld computer or simply handheld) is a small, hand-held computing device, typically having a display screen with touch input and/or a miniature keyboard and weighting less than 2 pounds (0.91 kg). Examples of mobile devices include a mobile phone, a cellular phone, a smartphone, a person digital assistant (PDA) and the like.
One problem with these devices is that there is a very limited amount of screen space: the screen cannot physically be made bigger as the devices must be able to fit into the hand or pocket to be easily carried. As the screen is small, it may be difficult for the user to select an option in one of the graphical user interface widgets, such as lists and menus, due to the limited space or limited “touch zone.” The touch zone refers to the amount of screen space provided to the user to select an option of the graphical user interface widget.
Unfortunately, the user interface implementation libraries do not provide the user options in changing the size of the touch zone of the graphical user interface widgets. Furthermore, most applications are written to display graphical user interface widgets with a default touch zone space. In order for the size of the touch zone space to be modified, the provider of the content (e.g., web page or application) being displayed on the mobile computing device would need to specifically modify the touch zone for their graphical user interface widgets displayed on the mobile computing device. In addition, with the variety of screen sizes available on mobile computing devices, the same graphical user interface widget may be easily selectable on one device but difficult to select on another device.
As a result, there is not currently a means for allowing the user to control the touch zone of the graphical user interface widgets, such as expanding the touch zone, so as to easily select the options displayed in the graphical user interface widgets.